Atletico Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome basement side Almeria to Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side, who are currently fourth in the La Liga table, suffered a 1-0 loss to Barcelona last weekend, while Almeria drew 0-0 with Real Betis in their last league match.
Match preview
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Atletico were well-below their best against Barcelona last time out, and the one-goal loss would have been even more difficult to take considering that the winner came from their on-loan forward Joao Felix.
The manner of Felix's celebration suggests that it will be very difficult to see him in an Atletico shirt again, but the Red and Whites will fancy their chances of bouncing back this weekend against the team rooted to the bottom of the division in Spain's top flight.
Atletico have won 10, drawn one and lost three of their 14 league games this season to collect 31 points, which has left them fourth in the table, three points behind third-placed Barcelona and seven from leaders Real Madrid, boasting a game in hand on both sides, as well as second-placed Girona.
Simeone's side are already through to the knockout round of the Champions League, and they will go head-to-head with Italian side Lazio for first position in the section next week.
Atletico are actually on a 16-game winning run at home in La Liga, which is an indication of the size of the task facing Almeria, with the capital outfit's last league defeat at Wanda Metropolitano proving to be a 1-0 reverse against Barcelona at the start of January.
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Almeria boast a record of zero wins, four draws and 11 defeats from their 15 league matches this season, which has left them rooted to the bottom of the table on four points, already seven points from safety.
La Union only just survived relegation from Spain's top flight last season, finishing in 17th position, and they are already in a huge battle to move out of the bottom three.
Almeria did manage to claim a welcome point at home to Real Betis in the league last weekend, with the result ending a six-game losing run, and it is the type of result that they could potentially build from.
Gaizka Garitano's side were unable to progress in the Copa del Rey earlier this week, though, suffering a 1-0 loss to Barbastro, who play their football in the fourth tier of the Spanish league system.
UDA comfortably have the worst defensive record in the division this season, conceding 37 times, and they have lost six of their seven away league matches during the 2023-24 campaign, so their supporters will not be too hopeful of a positive result against Atletico here.
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Atletico will be without the services of Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar and Vitolo for this weekend's contest through injury, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape for the visit of Almeria.
There will be changes from the side that started against Barcelona, with Samuel Lino and Cesar Azpilicueta potentially both coming into the XI in defensive areas.
Angel Correa is also pushing to be included in the starting side, although Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann are certain starters, so the Argentine could be forced to accept a spot on the bench once again alongside the likes of Saul Niguez and Memphis Depay.
Almeria, meanwhile, will be without the services of five players through injury, with Marko Milovanovic, Ibrahima Kone, Luis Suarez, Marc Pubill and Martin Svidersky all out.
Head coach Garitano could select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle of the league match with Real Betis last weekend due to the impressive nature of the performance and result.
As a result, there is set to be widespread changes from the side that started against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, with none of the starting XI from that match expected to feature from the beginning this weekend.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Azpilicueta, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino; Llorente, Koke, De Paul; Griezmann, Morata
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Pozo, Montes, Gonzalez, Akieme; Robertone, Melero; Baptistao, Arribas, Embarba; Ramazani
We say: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Almeria
It would be one of the biggest surprises of the season if Almeria were able to pick up a positive result on Sunday, and we just cannot see the visitors avoiding defeat. Atletico will be aiming to bounce back from their loss to Barcelona and should have far too much quality for their opponents.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
